Mack Brown announced he was stepping down from his head coaching position at the University of Texas after the Valero Alamo Bowl against Oregon. He should have been honest and said that he was being forced out by the university.
Sure Brown acknowledged it was time for a change after a 30-20 record and 18-17 mark in the Big 12 over the last four seasons. And yes, his Longhorns has an 8-4 record this season after losing to Baylor in the de facto Big 12 title game to end the regular season. Brown is too much of a gentleman who say he was done wrong in the end.
I’ll just say it for him – Mack Brown was forced to resign.
Brown should have been allowed to finish his career at Texas on his own terms. Just look at all the great things he did for the Longhorns.
Brown resurrected an underachieving football program at Texas. From 2001-09, when Texas went 101-16, won two Big 12 titles and twice played for the national championship. He had only one losing season at Texas, going 5-7 in 2010. The Longhorns went 134-34 under Head Coach Mack Brown overall, including 82-22 in Big 12 Conference play. Brown was by far the Texas’ most successful head coach since the legendary Darrel Royal.
Yet Brown was forced to quit.
That sums up life as a coach – both on the collegiate and professional level. It is a “what have you done for me lately?” business. Hell if Brown soured on Texas after winning a national championship and playing for another not too long ago, then what other chance to others have?
The question is now where does Texas go from here? Lots of names have been brandied about: 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher (though he just signed a contract extension), Baylor’s Art Briles, Stanford’s David Shaw.
I do know one thing, Nick Saban played the Longhorns like Parker Brothers. He knew he would never leave Alabama for Texas, and used Texas’ interest to land a phat contract extension from the Crimson Tide.
No matter who coaches the Longhorns, he will have a hard time living up to the legacy Mack Brown built for Longhorn football.
Categories: college football
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